Palm Sunday: Ancient Prophecy and Personal Remembrance

The Gospel of Matthew is chosen today by the Church to begin the Holy Week events leading to Jesus’ death and resurrection.  I have been reading about the juxtaposition of personal episodes that happened to Jesus as witnessed by the apostles and are rooted in the words of the Old Testament and its prophets concerning the Messiah who would appear.

In the Palm Sunday experience, Matthew explains that Jesus, heading to Jerusalem, reached Bethphage and called for a donkey and colt in the village ahead of them. As he rode through the town, the crowds spread palm branches on the road and hailed him “Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”

After Jesus’ death, the disciples remembered the amazing happening along the route and recalled the ancient Prophet saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

During the reading of Palm Sunday’s Passion narrative, Matthew includes in his Gospel several other incidents that happened the day before Jesus’ crucifixion.  Later recalling them and realizing that these events were rooted in the prophets solidified forever that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah.

Pointing to his disciples dispersing and hiding in fear after the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of a prophecy matching their behavior: “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’” No doubt due to fear, it was some time after the crucifixion that the disciples remembered the prophecy to which Jesus had referred.

After Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss and thirty pieces of silver, Matthew writes that Judas repented but hanged himself.  After conferring, the chief priests used the money to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the Prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver… and gave them for the potter’s field.”

Gospel writers Mark, Luke and John also quoted Old Testament prophecies to validate that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.  The written word of the Gospel, eyewitness accounts, the prophetic word of the Old Testament prophets and the fulfillment of the prophetic word give authenticity to Jesus as Messiah.

-Sister Jean Moylan, CSJ

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Image: Unsplash/Brooke Lark

If You're Happy and You Know It...

“If You’re Happy and you Know it Clap Your Hands!”
World Happiness Day

Most of us are familiar with the children’s song that begins, “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands”! International World Happiness Day – and there really is such a day - invites us to do just that, to celebrate happiness and to strive to create happiness across the world and locally where our own feet are!

International World Happiness Day, established by the United Nations in 2013, is celebrated each March 20th. The intent of the day is a reminder of the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. It is a day to highlight happiness as a universal human goal and is closely associated with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals which seek to end human poverty, to reduce inequality and to protect the planet.

The past 3 years have been hard and discouraging for many. Yet, the World Happiness Report, 2022 reminds us that despite such dark times there are also many current examples of profound human kindness and increased social support on which we are invited to reflect .[1]

Attitudes also count in significant ways. It is no coincidence that with the release of the World Happiness Report each year, the Nordic countries surpass all others. “Why”? There are obvious factors such as the smallness of each of these nations but there is also more. Whether democracy, political rights, social networks, fair distribution of resources, gender equality, and other such factors are considered, the Nordic countries are always found at the top of the happiness lists!

In a business report, Fanny Aberg, of the executive company “Nordic Minds” says, in the Nordic countries, “family always comes first”. It is primarily a question of work/life balance. She continues “working hours are based on when you want to spend time with your family. It’s perfectly normal to turn off your computer at 4pm and pick up the children from daycare, spend the afternoon with them and eat dinner together.” Life in the workplace is marked by listening to all employees and informality and ambience matters in the workplace. Meetings include the Swedish tradition of “fika”; the sharing of coffee and pastries as friends.[2] Linked to this is the Scandinavian “Hygge (pronounced hooga) lifestyle. Hygge, is translated as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality”.[3] Home life is enjoyed, dressed down in comfortable clothes, enjoying conversation and warmth together and eating comfort food. Perhaps we have much to learn from these countries! Happiness in Scandinavia is likely to be defined by a sense of simple contentment.

So, let’s celebrate this World Happiness Day – reflecting on our lifestyles, being grateful for and sharing our blessings with others. Let’s reach out to someone on this day to bring happiness to their life.

-Sister Mary Rowell, CSJ

[1] World Happiness Report, 2022 see: worldhappinessreport/ed/2022

[2] See:www.businessinsider.com/world-happiness-report-nordic-countries-why-work-culture-lifestyle;better-2022-4

[3] Merriam Webster Dictionary

St. Joseph's Day

Today the Sisters of St. Joseph mark another year to celebrate the feast of our patron, St. Joseph.  We don’t know much about him from Scripture and what we do know mostly centers around the Nativity stories as told in the Scripture.  We don’t know when he was born or when he died.  So what do we as Sisters of St. Joseph find so compelling about this quiet carpenter?  The image of pilgrim comes to mind.  Not a pilgrim that goes out to the desert to find God, but one who is open to find God where we are.  Joseph can teach us how to discover the presence of God within and around us.  

Growing into the life of God is not an exercise in spiritual gymnastics.  It is one long, day by day attempt to put on the mind of God wherever we are and whatever happens to us along the way. 

Growing into the life of God is not endless prayer taking us out of life’s challenges.  In fact, like Joseph, we are here to grow through everyone of those challenges and move day by day into a deeper communion with God.  If we do have special prayers or leave for some quiet time, these are little rests along the way meant to build our strength for the rest of journey ahead.

“like Joseph, we are here to grow through everyone of those challenges and move day by day into a deeper communion with God”

Joseph’s quiet and challenging life reminds us that we usually find God in the ordinary things we do day by day.  The many attempts we make to turn our attention towards God, in prayer, in service, in compassionate listening are simply signs that God is with us.  This is what Joseph’s life journey can show.  Joseph, an ordinary carpenter listened deeply and met the challenges of each day.  Joseph was not God, but a mentor for any of us who want to know how God is present in our daily lives.

Happy St. Joseph’s Day to all who have shared this journey and continue to seek God each day.

-Sister Joan Atkinson, CSJ

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Header Image: Unsplash/Saint John's Seminary

Tending Our Irish Roots

Canadians live in a land of immigrants who never forget their homeland. Most Canadians love this great country and have found it to be a peaceful place where they can flourish, enjoy freedom, and educate their children.  However, deep in their hearts, immigrants long to visit their homeland and do so, if possible.  This longing is true in my own family that emigrated from Ireland prior to the Great Irish Famine of 1845-1847. 

My great-grandfather arrived in Canada with his three brothers and two sisters. As a young man, he arrived in Huron County. There, he purchased and cleared land from the Canada Company, married the maiden from across the fields and became part of an Irish settlement that prospered as the generations passed.  

His brothers and sisters settled nearby. Of course, the new settlers missed family and friends in Ireland but visiting their roots was not an option.

Years passed and our grandparents kept the stories of Ireland alive in our minds.  Finally, during the ‘60s, when families had saved sufficient funds, the third generation Irish in my area began to realize their long-held dreams to visit the land of their ancestors. My generation, the fourth, followed suit as we longed to visit our motherland where our ancestors had toiled to make a living under the heavy hand of the British.

Our Michigan cousin, a history buff, researched all things Irish. He and his family made several trips to the Old Sod and encouraged us to do likewise.  In preparation, we studied his detailed outline of our family in the Galway region.

In 2013, I had an opportunity to cross the ocean and bask in the sights and sounds of Ireland. As we landed at Shannon airport, old songs of Ireland once sung around our living room piano, came rushing to my mind.  My heart sang, “Where the River Shannon Flows” as I walked over its famous bridge at twilight.  “Christmas in Killarney” came to mind in that pretty city.  Of course, “Galway Bay” hummed in my heart as I sat on a wooden bench staring into peaceful water surrounded by gentle morning mist.  A few days later, at the end of our bus trip around the famous Ring of Kerry, who appeared coming out of a rest area building but my first cousin Ann and her husband from Windsor.  They too, were exploring Ann’s Irish roots.  We were surprised and delighted!

Now in our sixth generation, my brother and his wife recently took their daughter and son, his wife with baby in utero and their two-year-old daughter to see the beauties of Ireland.  The children are young, but already they have been inducted into tending our Irish roots.

-Sister Jean Moylan, CSJ 🍀

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Header Image: Unsplash/Philipp Baumann; All other Images: The Moylan Family.

The Return of the Eagle

Photo: Gary Viznioski. Gary is a nature photographer who often comes to my property to take photos, especially of birds

The month of March has arrived, and it is the time I begin to watch for the bald eagle’s return to Hay River. The earliest date I have seen one is March 9th and the latest has been March 28th. Although I hear from others that the eagle is back, I wait to see my first sighting. I live beside the Hay River, 10 km from town and 1 km off the highway. My location is away from traffic and provides a serene, peaceful atmosphere. I am blessed that the eagle sits in a tree in front of my deck, almost daily.

Ehndah cho

This week I visited with elder and former chief, Roy Fabian of Katl’odehche First Nations to talk about the eagle. The eagle is regarded with great respect. In speaking with Roy Fabian, he shared with me how his father, Edward Fabian spoke of the eagle. Roy’s father spoke of the reverence and respect for the eagle. Since the eagle can fly so high, higher than any other bird, it is close to God. The eagle flies beside heaven and therefore is very close to the Creator.

2 Bald Eagles in Hay River, Northwest Territories, Canada. Photo: Gary Viznioski.

My encounters with eagles have brought me joy, wonder, and awe. The drive from Yellowknife to Fort Providence takes approximately 3 hours. Along the way, there are many small lakes and large ponds on either side of the road. By the month of April, the ice on these bodies of water has started to thaw. The area of ice gradually decreases as it melts and is surrounded with water.

As I was driving home, I came to one of these small ponds. Driving past it, I noticed a most beautiful sight. Being a very sunny day, the snow was dazzling white, with the water reflecting the sky. Right in the middle of the ice sat a huge bald eagle. The eagle was sitting as if it were soaking in the warmth of the sun. I slowed down, backed up my vehicle to appreciate this sighting. After a prayer of thanksgiving to the Creator, I continued my way, grateful once again for the beauty of creation that surrounds me daily.

Builders and Providers

Photo: Gary Viznioski.

Eagles mate for life and return to the same nest each spring. On the “back road” in Hay River the eagles had a nest. Every spring I would visit the nest to see if the eagles had returned to it. Sometimes the nest needed a bit of repair after the winter. Then, the pair of eagles would be in or near the nest, soon sitting in the nest on eggs, and eventually, I would see one or two small heads in the nest with one parent. The other parent would be sitting in another tree keeping watch or sometimes flying to Great Slave Lake  that was nearby to catch a fish. I would visit the nest many times throughout the summer. If you have seen an eagle’s nest, have you wondered how they are made?

One winter the snowfall was very heavy and there was much wind. By the springtime, the nest had been destroyed by the elements of snow and wind. The eagles had returned and as I drove to the nest one Saturday morning, flying towards me, one of the eagles was carrying a very large stick, perfectly balanced in its talons. The eagle brought the huge stick to the top of the tree, which looked like a “Y” shape and manoeuvred the stick in place. This was the beginning of their new home. A few days later, on the side of the road was a large pile of twigs and small branches. I wondered at this. Did the eagles prepare this pile? As the building of the nest progressed with large sticks, the pile of twigs disappeared becoming filling in between the larger sticks.

Blessing and Gratitude

A few years ago, I was in a time of discernment regarding a possible change in ministry and living situation. After many months of discernment through prayer, guidance from a few individuals whom I trust and who know me well, the time was coming for an answer. I was conflicted with coming to a definite decision and I was aware of my deepest feelings about the situation. One of my “guides” suggested that I pray for clarity rather than for a definite answer.

Photo: Gary Viznioski.

It was late March and I had not yet seen an eagle, although I knew others in the community had seen them. My answer was needed by April 1st. As I sat in prayer, being open to a gift of clarity, I saw the eagle flying along the centre of the river. I was so grateful and thanked the Creator for its safe return. A few minutes later, the eagle turned and flew towards my house. There are three long, narrow windows in my living room which face the river. As the eagle flew closer, it was right at the middle window, flying over the house. This was most unusual. The eagle was huge and the white of its feathers were resplendent! It was as if it paused in flight before lifting over the house. A sense of awe and amazement filled me, but also a deep sense of “all will be well”.  What a gift, what a blessing!

“And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings, Bear you on the breath of dawn…” As I sing these words from the song On Eagle’s Wings, they hold a deeper meaning for me as I remember the words of Roy’s father of the closeness of the eagle to the Creator as it flies beside heaven.

And so, as the month of March begins, I will be watching for the return of the eagles. As they return, I will know and be reminded of the faithfulness and care of the Creator for all creatures. I look forward with openness, anticipation, and expectation to be surprised with the lessons the eagle will teach me this season.

Mahsi, thank you Creator, for all the gifts You have given each of us. May we always walk humbly with respect, kindness, gratitude, and love for all of creation.

Sister Maggie Beaudette, csj